The talented POWER GIRL team of Jimmy Palmiotti, Justin Gray and artist extraordinaire Amanda Conner kick off a new story arc, “Space Girls Gone Wild!” with this issue, as a trio of sexy alien maraurders hit Earth for the ultimate party. Unfortunately, this galactic bender includes destroying the planet. Sounds like a certain Power Girl has to crash the festivities, no?

Check out a few pages below. POWER GIRL #4 hits 8/19.

On 9/2, writer Steve Niles and artist Kelley Jones’ 12-issue Batman tale, GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT will hit stores, collecting a horrifying tale of the Caped Crusader in one neat volume. But did you know director John Carpenter wrote the intro? Well, he did. And we’ve got the whole thing here for your perusal. Take it away, John:

BATMAN has been around since 1939, has been reinvented by each generation of comic book creators, and definitely has the best costume of any superhero ever. For 70 years the Dark Knight has walked tortured urban streets, but never as darkly and stylishly as in Steve Niles and Kelley Jones’ hands.

GOTHAM AFTER MIDNIGHT is an absolute blast. Niles’ sharp narrative blends horror, humor, noir and sweeping action, and his collaborator Jones is such a gifted artist that you can’t stop looking at the panels. I’m an enormous fan of these two gentlemen. BATMAN comic books get no better than this.

So start turning the pages. Steve Niles and Kelley Jones will transport you to a giddy, beautiful fever dream. I guarantee it.

John Carpenter is the visionary film director responsible for many of today’s cult classics, such as Halloween, Escape from New York, The Thing, Starman, Big Trouble in Little China, and many more.

The moment we’ve all been waiting for is close at hand. The superstar team of writer Geoff Johns and artist Gary Frank reunite to present the modern origin of the Man of Steel, and it all starts with a gigantic 48-[age first issue. Chronicling Clark Kent's journey from Smallville to Metropolis, you'll experience the beginnings of some of comics' most beloved characters, including Lex Luthor, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Lois Lane, Jimmy Olsen and more. And if you were a fan of Johns' deft handling of Green Lantern's origin back in GREEN LANTERN: SECRET ORIGIN, you know that this isn't just a recap -- but also a sign of things to come.

SUPERMAN: SECRET ORIGIN #1 hits 9/23.

The day is winding down, and you’re looking for something on the web to help pass the time. How about some Philip Tan BATMAN AND ROBIN #6 art? Not enough? We’ll thrown in some Tony Daniel art for BATMAN #693 plus Jock’s take on AZRAEL #2?

The issue hits 9/2, but why not take a peek at Talbot’s magnificent cover now?

Last week, we showed off Guillem March’s lovely variant cover to POWER GIRL #6 — which lead some of you to ask about the variants for #4 and 5. Well, we aim to please.

You saw the preview of ADVENTURE COMICS #1 over at IGN, but the fun doesn’t stop there. We’ve got a first-look at that series’ co-feature, THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES, from some guy named Johns and artist Clayton Henry.

If you haven’t been living under a rock, you’ve probably noticed Geoff’s taken a fancy for all things Legion of late, from his work on LEGION OF THREE WORLDS and his SUPERMAN AND THE LEGION OF SUPER-HEROES arc in ACTION COMICS, among other things. So, here you have it.

ADVENTURE COMICS #1 hits tomorrow.

Now that you’ve gotten the lowdown on CODENAME: PATRIOT from our very own Matt Idelson, we’ve got a few preview pages from the second installment, written by Greg Rucka with art by artist Julian Lopez (with another installment of Rucka and James Robinson’s CAPTAIN ATOM, featuring art by CAFU).

Part two finds Nightwing and Flamebird in pursuit of the sleeper agents Nadira and Az-Rel. But our heroes run into another deadly duo — Reactron and Metallo. How does this all tie into General Lane’s plans? And what happens when Superman and Supergirl reach Earth looking for the shooter?

ACTION COMICS #880 hits 8/12.

It’s a short week here at The Source, what with our last summer Friday looming. Then it’s back to the drain of five-day work weeks. Frightening, huh?

But we’ve got a ton of stuff lined up to show off in the next few days, so no worries. And we know how much you like teaser art. What’s better than that? Well, teaser art and news, no?

You’ve heard rumblings about this here and there, but we can now officially confirm that starting in November, THE GREAT TEN will star in their own 10-part mini-series, from writer Tony Bedard and artist Scott McDaniel, with covers by Stanley “Artgerm” Lau.

At the dawn of the Chinese Century, the 10 official “super-functionaries” of the People’s Republic face their greatest challenge as the gods of Ancient China return to destroy communist rule. Will the most populous nation on Earth drag the rest of the world down with it? Do its heroes even want to save a government that treats them like pawns?

Want more? We got Bedard to give us the basics on  the new series. Take it away, Tony:

“When I went off to college, I really got into Eastern philosophy — Taoism, Buddhism, Zen, etc. Around the same time, I picked up ANIMAL MAN and I’ve been a hardcore Grant Morrison fan ever since. So I leapt at the chance to do a GREAT TEN series, to flesh out these characters Grant dreamed up and tap the amazing storytelling potential in both them and their country. It’s a chance to do a different take on super-heroes, and just like my R.E.B.E.L.S. series, I think THE GREAT TEN is going to take a lot of people by surprise.”

THE GREAT TEN #1 hits 11/4. And, wait, here’s some dandy preview art, including the cover to #1.

A rare non-rainy day and I find myself trapped indoors with Wil Moss, putting the finishing touches on SUPERMAN #691, the fourth and final chapter of our latest Superman crossover, “Codename: Patriot”. While Wil goes over some dialogue tweaks involving the not-so-nice General Lane with James Robinson, I’m going over David Curiel’s colors. We’re asking a lot of David on this one, and so far, he’s been more than up to the challenge.

So what is “Codename: Patriot” anyway? Glad I pretended you asked. We’ve long had a plan in place for the Super-books, one that would build and build until culminating in a very large story in 2010. It took a while for folks to believe us and see the emerging pattern, but now, I think it’s starting to be clear. Certainly, with hindsight…

After stories like “Last Son”, “Superman & The Legion”, “Brainiac”, “The Coming of Atlas” and even “Escape from Bizarro World” set the stage, we began things in earnest with the first JIMMY OLSEN and NEW KRYTPON specials. NK set the stage for our first few months of stories, in which the Kandorians were introduced, hostilities broke out as General Lane was reintroduced, and Superman got evicted from his two titles. After that, we spent some quality time getting to know Mon-El, Guardian and the new Nightwing and Flamebird, even as the society of New Krypton was further fleshed out and the Kryptonians presented themselves as a thriving, formidable society. So what’s next? Uh, “Codename: Patriot”, obviously.

After spending so much time and effort on the Kryptonians and Earth’s new protectors, it’s time to show why Earth as an adversary is no wilting flower. Over the course of this month, we’ll see the full scope (well, some of it, anyway) of Lane’s plans to protect Earth from the deadliest threat the world has ever faced (and not just in his mind), catch up with old friends like Atlas and Codename: Assassin, learn more about that odd woman with the funky blue eye named Mirabai, and even get to see some of our latest editions to the character stable like Flamebird and Nightwing cross paths with Mon-El and Supergirl. And no, it ain’t gonna be old home week.

The fun kicked off last week in WORLD OF NEW KRYPTON (or as we call it, WONK) #6, as we picked up on the shocking act of violence committed at the end of WONK #5. And that’s only the first act, as the story flows into ACTION COMICS #880 this week, SUPERGIRL #44 next, with SUPERMAN #691 rounding out the month with the big finale. Along the way, we’ve got a SECRET FILES for ya (also out this week) to help you ongoing readers brush up on your facts in time for the crossover, and to serve as an introduction to those foolish stragglers who aren’t as hip as you are. August 19th is the date you should circle in your calendar for the payoff to Sodom Yat’s quest to find Mon-El in SUPERMAN ANNUAL #14, and the end of the month gives you the long-awaited sequel to SUPERMAN’S PAL, JIMMY OLSEN SPECIAL #1. We’ve cleverly numbered it issue #2, and you’ll get to follow Jimmy around as he delves even deeper into the mystery of General Lane’s 7734 operation.

I could gush about the tension-filled writing or the stunning art in these books, but I feel pretty confident you’ll look at the books and know what I’m talking about.

I could get into the meaning of the story title, “Codename: Patriot”, and speculate with you on if this means we’re introducing a daring new character to Lane’s arsenal, joining Codename: Assassin, Codename: Reactron, Codename: Metallo and Codename: Superwoman (moment of silence), but hey, I ain’t the Shell Answer Man!

So enjoy the hints of art I’m sharing instead, let it whet your appetite, find your closest comic store and get started! I’m so sure you’ll like what we’ve got for you that I’m throwing in this bamboo steamer absolutely free!